Pages

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

New Plan of Attack

Thank you so much, my friends, for your comments on
yesterday’s post! I was reminded by your loving kindness that I am not as bad
off as I like to sometimes think I am, while also recognizing that this running
journey is supposed to be FUN and if it stops being fun then maybe a marathon
IS more than I can handle at the moment. And you know what, that’s okay
too! But I’ve been inspired to find a
new plan of attack on this thing and truly get my head (and rear!!) in gear
over the next

YIKES!!!

So here we go:

Strategy #1

All lunch prep (the cutting, cooking, packaging) will take
place on Sunday. Then each night before
bed I will set the coffee maker to brew and organize lunch items as needed
for the next day so that all I have to do is throw it quickly in the lunch bag
and go. For example, I typically have almonds for an afternoon snack, but
instead of using a gazillion different plastic containers I usually just throw
the amount for the day in a small container and then refill it the next day. These
are the types of things I can do the night before instead of the morning of.

Strategy #2

Pits and Legs shaving is only going to happen on non-work
days. Okay, that might be too much information, but it’s a reality…shaving
takes time and in order for me to have the time I need to dedicate to sleep and
exercise some things just have to GO. No way around it…so Friday, Saturday,
Sunday – looks like you’re the new shave days and I’ll just have to get
creative about what I wear this summer. LOL! Oh, and in case you’re not wondering,
thankfully I have Nordic roots so I can kind of get away with less regular
shaving of the legs and I constantly worry about "bingo wings" so tank tops at work
are not something I usually do, so we’re good there! Haha

Love her!!!

Strategy #3

I have got to quit hitting that darn snooze button. I will get
up earlier the two days a week that it is necessary to (Tues/Thurs) in order to
fit in those longer mid-week runs. I’ve been shortchanging myself for the most
part and have had to skimp on a lot of those 5-8 mile runs on a weekday because
I just don’t get up in time. That has got to stop because I am SURE it is
making those long runs on the weekend exponentially harder than they need to
be.

Strategy #4

Explore long run alternatives. I have 16 miles on the plan
this weekend and I am going to continue with what I’ve been doing which has
been heading to the local lake and running the trail. It really is quite
pretty, but is also extremely short on shade. However, there isn’t NO shade, as
there are a couple spots where the mountains provide shade until the sun gets
above. I will run repeats in those shady areas until they are gone, gone, gone
and then move on to just straight trail so that I can get as much shade as
possible.

Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet, CA

I mean, that’s pretty, right?? BUT in the event that this
weekend’s run is just as crummy as last weekend then I have a back-up strategy.
If it is because of: A) Loneliness: I kindly request force my BFF on her bicycle out there
with me; B) Heat: I find a new route that offers some additional shade; C)
Motivation to Keep Moving: I try running with the Riverside Road Runners on a
Sunday morning instead. If it’s because of all of those things then I’ll
re-think my strategy and motivations again. Truth is that it is only ten more long runs and two of those
are taper; so eight weekends of long mileage. I’m sure I can figure out a way
to make it work!!

Strategy #5

Eat like a boss from here on out. Yes, yes…broken record
time here. I will make better food choices, but I’m also going to make sure I’m
getting some PLANNED treats in there so I don’t feel deprived.

Strategy #6

Add strength training back in at least once a week. I haven’t
been finding the time (which is pretty much the same thing as haven’t been
motivated, right?) to regularly strength train, but if my core, legs and upper
body are stronger it will make the long run that much easier. Time to add it
back in and I don’t think doing it at least one time a week is too much to ask
from myself.

Strategy #7

I may start playing with some different walk/run intervals.
I’ve been doing a 7 minute jog/3 minute walk ratio (for my long runs only) but
if that proves to be more than I can do in the summer heat then I’ll play
around with it a bit and see if shorter intervals work better.

So there, I think I’ve come up with some good strategies to
be successful…well, at least hopefully more successful than I’ve been lately!
Time to keep my eye on the prize and make this happen!